Why do our older generations address nurses as bee see? Why do we call someone without roles or assignments lobo? Find out more
Arrow
- Original Meaning: A type of shooting weapon (English)
- Local Meaning: To order someone to do a task
A term probably first used in the military, it is now frequently used in local context to mean an order being directed at someone, like an arrow, to carry out a task, usually against his wishes.
Bao Toh
- Original Meaning: Bun knife (Hokkien)
- Alternate Meaning: To tattle
The phrase also refers to sabotage, to betray secrets or tell on others. The long bun knife is possibly used to describe the backstabbing.
Bee See
- Original Meaning: Young ladies (Missy, English)
- Local Meaning: Nurses
During the colonial days, young ladies were referred as Missy by the British, probably derived from Miss.
This applied to the young nurses working in hospitals, where the doctors would address them politely as Missy and the local patients, particularly the Malays, would pick it up and call them Misi as well.
The local Chinese, speaking mostly in dialects during that era, might have pronounced it in the Hokkien dialect and called the nurses, young or old, as bisi (pronounced bee see).
Catch No Ball
- Original Meaning: Nil
- Local Meaning: Dont understand
Singaporeans like to use the phrase catch no ball or liak bo kiu (Hokkien) as a way to express his lack of understanding of certain topic.
It is another way of saying: The ball is in my court, but I fail to catch it (It has been explained to me, but I fail to understand it).
Calefare
- Original Meaning: Free from anxiety or responsibility (carefree, English)
- Local Meaning: Bit actors/Extras
Referring to bit actors and actresses, this unique local phrase is borrowed from Cantonese term of , which is possibly derived from English word carefree, since these supporting roles in a film have few lines or little responsibilities.
The other meaning could be because these bit actors and actresses are usually provided with meals (curry rice and coffee), hence the Cantonese term.
Chop-chop
- Original Meaning: Hurry up (English)
- Local Meaning: Same as original meaning
Influenced by British seamen, who used chop or chop-up as a way of saying hurried or quick, the Cantonese also termed chop-chop as hurry up. The term appeared as early as 1834 in English newspaper articles in Canton.
When the westerners visited China in the 17th century, they were amazed by the nimbleness of chopsticks, thus they named them as quick-sticks which in turn became chopsticks.
The local usage of chop-chop goes one step further to become chop-chop kali pok, where kali pok is curry puff and has nothing to do with hurry up except that the rhymes make the whole phrase sounds phonetically, just like song-song gao Jurong (happy-happy arrive at Jurong) or ya-ya papaya (arrogant).
Claypot
- Original Meaning: Earthenware pot used for cooking (English)
- Alternate Meaning: Total loss
While many Singaporeans love claypot rice, the word claypot is intensively borrowed by football punters as a term for losing everything. It is viewed as a direct opposite of Jackpot, which means winning all.
The logical explanation, other than both words rhyme with each other, is that a claypot breaks into pieces easily and when that happens, it represents total loss.
Di Gu
- Original Meaning: Earthquake (Chinese)
- Local Meaning: NEA inspector
At the peak of street-hawkers peddling in Singapore during the sixties to seventies, the hygiene was the biggest concern for the NEA (National Environment Agency). NEA inspectors would go around the streets to catch unlicensed hawkers, who would be fined or had their pushcarts confiscated.
Such chases after the guilty hawkers usually resulted in chaos with toppled pushcarts and knocked-down passers-by. The scenario was like a rumbling earthquake, thus the inspectors were called di gu in Hokkien ( is an ancient Chinese name for earthquake).
The sights of several chasing inspectors were also likened to that of some uncontrolled wild bulls.
Eat Snake
- Original Meaning: Skiving (jiak zua, Hokkien)
- Alternate Meaning: Same as original meaning
Snake is viewed as a lazy animal by the Chinese, hence jiak zua or eat snake refers to the act of skiving.
Go Stun
- Original Meaning: Reversing of a boat (go astern, English)
- Local Meaning: Reversing of any vehicles
Go stun is a corrupted version of the English phrase go astern which means to move a boat backwards from the currents or winds.
The local borrowed it and described it to the reversing of any vehicles on the road.
The phrase might have evolved from go astern to go stern and finally go stun.
Goondu
- Original Meaning: Marble, nut (gundu in Malay)/Fat, ball, bomb (kuntu in Tamil)
- Local Meaning: Idiotic
Goondu is a Singlish word, derived either from Malay or Tamil to express something that is hard and heavy, which indirectly suggests a stupid person.
Goondu or guru is occasionally used in Singapore to differentiate between an idiot and an expert.
Jia Lat
- Original Meaning: Energy/Strength wasting (eat strength, Hokkien)
- Local Meaning: In trouble
Originally meant to describe a job or task that consumes a lot of energy or strength, but over the time, it has evolved to mean in trouble or simply oh no!
Kaki
- Original Meaning: Leg (Malay)
- Alternate Meaning: Buddy
Since leg in Chinese () has the same pronunciation as (, character), the local Chinese borrowed the Malay word to describe partner, buddy or close friend, such as mahjong kaki or lunch kaki.
Kantang
- Original Meaning: Potato (kentang, Malay)
- Alternate Meaning: Westernised Singaporeans
The term kantang is used to mock westernised Singaporeans who converses only in English and cannot speak their mother tongues properly.
It is probably derived from the view that potato is a staple food for westerners. Rice, on the other hand, is a staple food for East and Southeast Asians.
However, the actual Malay word for potato is kentang, and kantang is instead adopted by most local Chinese, probably due to mispronunciation.
Karung Guni
- Original Meaning: Gunny Sack (Malay)
- Alternate Meaning: Rag and bone man
In the old days, the rag and bone man used gunny sacks to collect the used newspapers. Since they rarely use gunny sacks nowadays, the term karung guni is used to describe the rag and bone men instead.
Karung guni men, armed with a horn and cart, are familiar sights in public flats, going floors to floors and shouting garung guni, buay bor zua gu sa kor, ley lio dian si kee (rag and bone, buy newspapers and old clothes, radios and televisions).
Usually they offer a small price to buy the old stuffs from the public.
Kayu
- Original Meaning: Wood (Malay)
- Alternate Meaning: Blockhead/Buck up
Visit any football matches in Singapore and Malaysia and youll like hear some fans screaming referee kayu!. Kayu is a Malay word for wood, and fans like to criticise the referee as a wooden blockhead whenever he makes a controversial decision.
Jalan Kayu, which literally means wooden road, has a Chinese translation of (), which itself means to buck up, so referee kayu can also mean asking the stressed referee to buck up.
Kelong
- Original Meaning: Offshore platform for fishing (Malay)
- Alternate Meaning: Match-fixing
Fans in football-crazed countries of Singapore and Malaysia will often describe matches with dubious results as kelong. The term kelong is a Malay word which refers to a wooden offshore platform used by fishermen.
Knowing very well that fish will escape in faulty nets, the fishermen will carefully mend their nets before casting into the sea. Likewise, a bribed football player will attempt to throw the match away, and thus kelong is used locally to describe the guilty player or the dubious match.
Kiwi
- Original Meaning: New Zealand wingless bird (English)
- Local Meaning: To polish
Every National Service (NS) personnel will not be unfamiliar with the round polish container he receives in military training. Filled with black boot polish, the black container is easily recognised by a kiwi on its cover.
The trademark brand, established in 1906 by Scottish-Australian manufacturer William Ramsay, has since become the global brand in shoe polish.
Therefore, the term Kiwi is used locally as a substitute for polish.
Lobang
- Original Meaning: Hole (Malay)
- Alternate Meaning: Opportunity
Originally the Malay word for hole, it is borrowed by the local Chinese to refer to an opportunity, usually in businesses or deals. It has been used so intensively that a person with many sources of business opportunities is called a lobang king.
Kang tow in Hokkien () is similar to lobang.
Lobo
- Original Meaning: Left Out of Battle Order (English)
- Alternate Meaning: Soldier without assignment/Lazy person
The term lobo is originated from the military, which stands for left out of battle order. It is likely to be derived from LOB, a concept in World War I, which referred to left out of battle. In order to prevent a complete wipeout by the enemies, the second-in-command and several officers and men were left behind as LOB.
However, the term is now a derogatory term to describe soldiers without posts or assignments, or simply, a lazy person.
Masak-masak
- Original Meaning: Cooking (Malay)
- Alternate Meaning: Playing toys
Little girls love to pretend to cook with toys utensils, but over the time, masak-masak is generally used to describe children playing with their toys.
It also can be used as a reference to describe a serious matter, as in this is not masak-masak (this is not a play thing or this is no laughing matter)
Merlion
- Original Meaning: Half-lion, half-fish mascot of Singapore
- Alternate Meaning: Vomiting
Popularised in recent years, this term is used to describe the vomiting of a drunk person, where his throwing up is similar to that of the water spouting by the Merlion.
On The Ball
- Original Meaning: Alert (English)
- Local Meaning: Hardworking, enthusiastic
The phrase on the ball originated from baseball which it became popular in the 19th century. The batter has to be alert and keep his eyes on the ball in order to complete a successful strike.
The phrase is now used locally to describe a hardworking or even an over enthusiastic person, especially during the military trainings. On is also the short form for on the ball.
Or Bi
- Original Meaning: Nil
- Local Meaning: Deserving (in a mocking way)
Or bi is the short form for or bi good, which means very good in a sarcastic manner.
It is extracted from an old local nursery rhyme or bi good, ang moh jiak choo loot, where ang moh is a Caucasian, jiak is eat or chew and choo loot is cheroot or cigar. It is used to gloat at someones misfortune.
Pakat
- Original Meaning: Discussion (Malay)
- Alternate Meaning: Conspire
It means discussion or an agreement of a plan in Malay, but in Singlish, it is used to describe a conspiracy or a plot with negative aspect.
Pang Buay Ki
- Original Meaning: Being stood up (Hong Kong)
- Local Meaning: Same as original meaning
This phrase ( in Chinese) is similar to , where the former literally means put aeroplane while the latter means put pigeon. Both refer as being stood up in an appointment or date.
Put aeroplane origins from Hong Kong during its first ever airplane show. The angry audience was disappointed after the event was postponed for three days, hence the phrase of being stood up.
As for put pigeon, it was a scam that was popular in old Shanghai, where female scammers would seduce their victims and got away with their valuables and belongings.
Pok Gai
- Original Meaning: Go to hell (Hong Kong)
- Local Meaning: Bankrupt
Pok gai is a curse used frequently during quarrels in Hong Kong. The Chinese translation literally means die on the street.
This derogatory term, however, is used commonly in Singapore by gamblers as an expression that he has lost a lot of money.
Orh Han Tze
- Original Meaning: Nil
- Local Meaning: Mocking at someone who doesnt understand
Han tze, which means sweet potato in Hokkien, is used to mock at a person who doesnt understand a topic but pretends to understand. When he goes orh, the one mocking at him will reply orh han tze.
Orh sounds like yam in Hokkien, thus sweet potato is used as a counter.
Remisier
- Original Meaning: Intermediary (French)
- Local Meaning: Stockbroker
Although the origin of the word is French, and features in the historical Paris stock exchange, the common usage of this word now only restricts in the Singapore and Kuala Lumpur stock exchanges.
It first appeared in the rubber and tin trading sectors in Malaya during the colonial days.
Sabo
- Original Meaning: Sabotage (English)
- Local Meaning: Same as original meaning
This English word originates from the French word sabot in the 19th century, which means poor quality work from an unskillful worker.
In Singlish, it is shortened to sabo, which can be used in playing a practical joke on others, deliberate harm and damage or intentional obstruction. It is frequently used in the military, and the one who likes to sabo is called the sabo king.
Shag
- Original Meaning: Sexual intercourse (English)
- Local Meaning: Tired
Shag is considered an offensive slang for sexual intercourse in British context, whereas in Singapore the word is being used without containing any sexual meaning. Many, especially military personnel, like to use shag or shagged out to express extreme fatigue.
Shiok
- Original Meaning: Great (shauk, Punjabi)
- Local Meaning: Pleasure
It is one of the most-used local phrases, which can be used to describe anything that provides extreme pleasure, especially food.
Sekali
- Original Meaning: Once (Malay)
- Alternate Meaning: Suddenly and unexpectedly
One of the favourite phrases used by Singaporeans, it is used to describe something that may happen unexpectedly. The term is often accompanied with a word of caution.
Taiko
- Original Meaning: Leper (Hokkien)
- Alternate Meaning: Lucky
Taiko is a Hokkien term to describe the condition of a person with leprosy. As medical advances, the chances of contracting the disease is lower, thus anyone who suffers from it is deemed extremely unlucky.
Hence, taiko in modern context is a sarcastic way of saying that a person is very lucky.
Talk Cock
- Original Meaning: Fanciful story (a cock and bull story, English)
- Local Meaning: Talk nonsense, rubbish
A cock and bull story was first used in England in the 18th century to describe fanciful stories told in the rivaling coaching inns The Cock and The Bull.
Locally, it means talking nonsense. A longer version talk cock sing song refers to get together for a casual chat.
Wa Kao
- Original Meaning: My goodness (Hong Kong)
- Local Meaning: Same as original meaning
Popularised in the mid-nineties by Stephen Chows comedies, this term ( in Chinese translation) describes displeasure, surprise or heck care.
In local context, it is the same as walao or wapiang.
Wayang
- Original Meaning: Theatre, Performance (Javanese)
- Local Meaning: To pretend in front of others
Although the word originally means Indonesian shadow puppet performance, it is also being used to refer to local Chinese opera performance on stage.
In Singlish, wayang has a negative aspect, referring to a person who pretends to be hardworking, or a nice guy, in front of others.
Below is a list of the most common Singlish words and phrases that are influenced by Malay, Hokkien and Cantonese. Words with sexual, racist and vulgar meanings are not included from the list. Local food and beverages, and names of local places are also excluded.
Published: 21 August 2011
Updated: 21 March 2012
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